


Welcome to the 21st Century

by Rivkah94



Category: Fruits Basket, Fruits Basket (Anime 2019), Fruits Basket - Takaya Natsuki (Manga)
Genre: Domestic, Gen, Genderfluid, Genderqueer, Self-Discovery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-10
Updated: 2019-08-10
Packaged: 2020-08-14 10:56:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20191129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rivkah94/pseuds/Rivkah94
Summary: Mitsuru is way more up to date on technology than Ritsu and spends a lot more time using the internet. She comes across an article mentioning the term genderfluid and feels like it's something Ritsu should read.





	Welcome to the 21st Century

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I am not genderfluid or genderqueer, but I headcanon that Ritsu is, especially looking at Fruits Basket now in 2019 rather than the time it was written. I wanted to represent that in a way that is both in-character and respectful, so please let me know if you have any feedback about ways I could improve this representation. Please also note that in some dialogue characters may describe things in a way that is not ideal. This is not because I feel this way but because I am writing characters who are learning about these terms and concepts for the first time and have lived their lives in a society that is not particularly open to these ideas. They do not yet have the tools to express their thoughts the way someone who has spent many years learning about sexuality and gender does. That said, let me know if anything comes off particularly egregious, and if you think there's a better way I could have expressed it. Thank you!

“Ritsu, have you ever heard the term ‘genderfluid’?”

Ritsu raised his head from the catalog he was perusing at the kitchen table. Mitsuru was looking at her phone, one finger raised to scroll. He was always in awe of how easily she picked up new technologies; he was a lost cause. Computers were hard enough for him, but whenever he tried to look at something on Mitsuru’s touch screen, he always tapped on something he didn’t mean to and spiraled into a total panic.

“No,” he said, furrowing his brow at the unfamiliar term, “What does it mean?”

Mitsuru looked at him, her mouth a delicate, thoughtful line. She waved her phone at him.

“I was reading an opinion piece about journalism to prepare for my interview, and it’s talking about the ways journalists refer to people. It always seemed very simple to me, but then the article mentioned that some people don’t like to be called ‘he’ or ‘she’, or sometimes they like to be called one and sometimes another. I hadn’t heard of that before, so I looked it up online and - what?”

Ritsu was smiling at her, the kind of smile that said he was trying not to interrupt.

“You’re so smart, Mitchan,” Ritsu said, smile widening, “Always reading things about your job and using the internet so easily.”

Mitsuru blushed. She wasn’t sure why she still blushed when Ritsu complimented her since they’d been married for a few years now, but it was a good feeling. Her mother and sister always told her she was so lucky to feel that way, even a few years later. Mitsuru sat down across from Ritsu.

“I’ve just had more practice than you, that’s all! I still want to show you how to order things for the onsen online.”

Ritsu’s face paled, and Mitsuru quickly waved the comment away and continued.

“Nevermind! Not important right now. Anyway, like I said, I started looking things up online because I wanted to know more, and I came across a different article explaining this term ‘genderfluid.’ I was just reading it, so I still don’t understand completely, but it said that this is a term people are starting to use for themselves if they don’t feel like they fit into one gender.”

“I don’t get it, exactly. Can people be more than one sex?”

“Not sex, gender. The article also explained that. That gender is different because - oh, just read it. I think . . . I think you’ll like it.”

Mitsuru pushed her phone across the table. Ritsu eyed it warily and reached for the device, hand shaking a little. He pulled it toward himself and left it flat on the table, gently placing a finger on the screen and sliding it down the way Mitsuru had taught him. He sighed in relief when it scrolled to the top of the article as he wanted, nothing suddenly flying in and out of view. He hunched over the phone and read, not daring to pick it up.

_ Well, at least he’s able to read it!, _ Mitsuru thought, _ But he needs to stop hunching over like this. _

As Ritsu read, Mitsuru thought idly that she should mention to his cousin Hatori that he may start having back troubles. She was still amazed that the Sohma family had its own doctor for the inner family. It was the sort of aristocratic convenience she felt existed nowadays only in the books she used to edit. It was still mind-boggling to think that Ritsu grew up in that kind of family.

Shigure . . . It made sense for Shigure. He was spoiled and loved to take advantage of people. He still infuriated her, even now that she no longer worked with him. Almost every time they met up with him, Ritsu had to hold her back from committing a homicide. But he was a good writer, and took great care with his craft when he could be bothered to do it. And after working with someone like _ him _ , she could work with _ anybody _.

But Ritsu was nothing like that. He was so timid, respectful, and kind, that Mitsuru could barely believe he shared any ounce of blood with Shigure. He had become more outspoken over the past few years though - not by the standards of any normal person, but it was obvious to those who knew him well. He still apologized unnecessarily, but it wasn’t as frequent as it used to be, and having to calm Mitsuru’s panics had taught him to better contain his own.

They had a rule: only one of them was allowed to flip out at a time in public. If she beat him to it, he had to control himself. It was a good rule. Good for them both.

Mitsuru was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard a sniffle. She blinked, focusing her eyes back on Ritsu, and saw that he was wiping tears from his eyes.

“R-Ritsu!” she exclaimed, leaping up and racing to his side, “Are you okay?! Oh no! I didn’t mean for it to make you cry!”

Ritsu laughed, a half laugh half sob really, and put a hand on Mitsuru’s arm.

“I-It’s okay,” he said, wiping his eyes again and chuckling.

Even with his face red and his eyes swollen, he was beautiful. Mitsuru brushed a lock of hair out of his face. It was getting long again. Truth be told, she liked his hair longer, but she didn’t want to pressure him into anything since he had decided to keep it short.

“I’m . . . I don’t know what exactly this feeling is . . .”

Mitsuru stood beside him, running her hands through his hair as he sat quietly for a few moments, collecting himself.

“Reading that . . . was very familiar.”

Mitsuru nodded, pulling a chair closer and sitting at Ritsu’s side, her whole body turned towards him.

“I . . .”

Ritsu didn’t know how to explain it. How did someone explain this kind of relief? He thought he’d come to terms with everything and moved on when he started dressing like a man and cut his hair. He was finally normal, working to take over his mother’s onsen, married to a hardworking woman, living in an apartment in the city, doing everything a successful man did. Nothing to be ashamed of anymore.

But he was ashamed, he realized now. It was just a different shame. He used to feel ashamed of wearing women’s clothes, of confusing people, of attracting questions to his poor parents who deserved a normal child. Now he felt ashamed because he felt like his was lying to people. When people saw him, they had no idea he had ever been anything but the man he is now, and that felt wrong too. No matter what he did, as a man or as a woman, he had felt like he was lying to people his whole life.

He looked down at the phone. There were other people in the world who felt this way though. People who felt like saying they were a man or a woman wasn’t quite right or who felt like they were a man one day and a woman the next. He wasn’t sure exactly which was true for him, but he knew he had a kinship with these people.

“Mitsuru . . . I think I might be someone like that.”

“I thought so too. When I was reading it, I thought it sounded like what you always described to me about your childhood.”

“Does it bother you?”

“ . . . Huh?”

“Does it bother you that . . . you married someone who isn’t a normal man.”

Mitsuru smiled and shook her head.

“Not at all. I wasn’t marrying to marry a man, I was marrying to marry you, Ritsu. I’ve always thought that I’m not quite sure what your gender really is, and I don’t mind at all. I know there are people who think it’s weird or don’t understand, especially here, but you deserve to be the real you, whoever it may be. And as your wife, it’s my job to help you be who you want to be!”

Ritsu took Mitsuru’s face in his hands and kissed her. She almost tipped out of her chair in surprise but grabbed his shoulders to steady herself. The kiss lasted a long time before Ritsu finally pulled away and ran his hands over his face. Mitsuru hummed happily and picked up her phone.

“You know, there are lots of blog posts and articles people are writing about this kind of thing. There are also forums all over the internet for people to discuss different topics. I’m sure something like that exists for genderfluid people too. I can help you find them, and you can practice using the internet that way!”

Ritsu moved his hands away from his face and smiled. He really was gorgeous, and Mitsuru had to push away a few lewder thoughts that came to mind.

_ Not the time, Mitchan. Later, later. _

“I would like that,” he said, “Aya-niisan keeps telling me I need to finally join everyone in the 21st century.”

“It’s true! There’s a lot of amazing things online. And some not so good things, but we can avoid those easily.”

Mitsuru stood up and kissed Ritsu’s forehead. He reached for her hand and smiled again, letting her fingers gently slip from his grip as she went to her office and grabbed her laptop.

They spent the evening looking for articles online to help Ritsu learn more. Since he didn’t have a smartphone, Mitsuru admitted they’d have to go the traditional route of printing them so he could read in bed. She made him do it though, and after just a couple of mishaps and only minimal screaming, they managed to crawl into bed, Mitsuru with a novel, and Ritsu with a stack of papers.

He stayed up far later than Mitsuru, reading in the dim light of his bedside lamp as she slept soundly beside him. He still had so much to learn - his head was swimming with all the new terms he was reading about: genderfluid, genderqueer, transgender. There was one blogpost that particularly resonated with him, and he wanted to ask the writer a question. There was no address on the post though.

_ Of course not. People don’t send mail for things like this. _

Ritsu felt Mitsuru roll over and looked down at her. She was in that in between space of waking and sleeping - when your eyes are half open and you’re about to drift off again.

“Mitsuru,” he whispered.

“Hnn?”

“Will you show me how to ask this blog person a question tomorrow?”

“Uh huh . . .”

“Thank you.”

She was asleep again already. Ritsu chuckled, doubting she would remember the conversation. But he knew she would help him, all he had to do was ask, as always. He put his stack of papers on the bedside table and turned out the light, sinking down beneath the covers and feeling Mitsuru shift closer instinctually.

“Good night,” he whispered. 


End file.
